


Fade Away

by bettername2come



Series: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Gen, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 15:53:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14719098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bettername2come/pseuds/bettername2come
Summary: While trying to contact Thor about the alien invasion on Earth, Jane and Darcy run into the same complication that everyone else in the world is dealing with.





	Fade Away

**Author's Note:**

> That's it. It's a series now. MCU characters who don't appear in Infinity War and their reactions to loved ones disappearing. 
> 
> Also, I hate titling fanfiction.

Darcy had been waiting for Thor to show up since the Evil Circle of Death had first appeared in the sky above New York. She hadn’t necessarily expected him to make contact since everything between him and Jane had imploded, but still. She did expect the guy to take up the mantle of “Earth’s Mightiest Hero” and come in raging against any outside threat that wanted to bring harm to the world he supposedly loved.

Unless breaking up with Jane had meant breaking up with Earth too. Which would’ve been completely unfair. It wasn’t Earth’s fault that he and Jane had “wanted different things” and had very little in the way of shared life experiences.

And aliens? That was his responsibility, all right? All the Avengers had their specialties. Espionage. Technology. Punching Nazis in the face. But aliens? That was all on Thor.

But the spaceship had come and gone with no sign of Thor. Tony Stark was missing, Cap was still nowhere to be found – _where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods –_ No! this was not the time to get the damn _Footloose_ soundtrack stuck in her head, she was supposed to be helping Jane. Not that she actually understood any of the science behind what they were doing, but she spoke fluent Jane, so that helped. As did the fact that she was finally getting paid to be her assistant, and maybe if they were really lucky Darcy would be able to put that political science degree to good use by negotiating some kind of deal with the aliens. _That_ would show the scientists just how non-useless she was.

Say what you would about Jane, the woman had no qualms about putting aside her differences with her ex when the fate of the world was at stake. She’d been trying to re-open communications with Asgard, but she’d had absolutely no luck in either opening a wormhole to bring Thor through or even just sending a message. Hell, they couldn’t even get SHIELD to return a damn phone call.

“I don’t know what’s going on. I can’t get through to anyone,” Jane said as she bent down to make her millionth adjustment to the giant contraption in front of her.

“Could the aliens have done something to block our signal? Keep us from sending an SOS to other worlds?” Darcy asked, .

“Maybe,” Jane said doubtfully. “But I don’t think that’s what it is. It’s like the signal’s going out just fine, it’s just…not arriving.”

“Maybe the Asgardians are having problems of their own,” Darcy said.

Jane straightened up and grabbed her tablet, checking another calculation. “Well, if that’s true, then I’m out of ideas. It’s not like I know that many – “ she was cut off by the sound of her tablet hitting the floor.

Darcy looked up. “Jane, are you –” she didn’t finish her sentence. As soon as she saw why Jane had dropped the tablet she knew she wasn’t all right. The fingers of Jane’s left hand had dissipated, tiny pieces of the scientist floating away like dust in the wind.

Jane was staring at her disappearing arm in a mix of horror and scientific fascination. “I didn’t do this,” she said quietly. Before Darcy could even form a response to that, Jane was gone completely, nothing but ash floating to the floor of the lab.

“Jane!” Darcy screamed, dropping to her knees and reaching for the ashes as if she’d have been able to reassemble them. No, no, no, no, no. This could not be happening. Whatever _this_ was. She reached for her phone, dialing the only person crazy enough to believe what had just happened.

Erik picked up on the first ring. “Darcy,” he said with a level of relief and affection that probably should have made her nervous, but she was too panicked to notice.

“Jane just disappeared,” she said, her words tumbling out almost too fast for her to understand them. “Not like with the wormholes, she like dissolved into dust and I don’t know what happened, or if the aliens were targeting her because she was trying to stop them, but we have to do something we have to bring her back.”

“It’s not just Jane,” Erik said gently.

“What? Who else?”

“Half the population if the news footage can be believed. Turn on the TV, Darcy.”

She reached for the remote and pointed it towards the small television in the corner of the lab. Images flickered by, from locations around the world, clear professional footage and shaky vertical videos filmed on phones by shocked onlookers, but the results were clear. Tokyo, London, New York, Sokovia – all over the world people had disappeared in the same way that Jane had, leaving confused bystanders feeling the same way Darcy did – lost, scared, confused.

“Why?” she whispered, not sure if she was asking Erik or the universe at large.

“I wish I could tell you,” Erik answered. “Actually, no. I have a feeling knowing why wouldn’t make this any easier on either of us.”

 


End file.
